Milk Peda Sweet- Indian Milk Fudge

Milk peda Sweet- Indian Milk Fudge

Milk peda or khoya sweet is quintessential Indian sweet or mithai made on all special occasions. No festive occasion is complete without these small round discs of milky creamy delight. They are commonly distributed in temples as prasad, or a religious offering of food The richness and flavor of this sweet, soft fudge is truly divine. Along with the richness of milk, this sweet is gently laced with the flavor of cardamom and saffron. This is so addictive and the best you can ever imagine!

Peda is my all-time favorite sweet. It has a soft and slightly chewy texture and is made with mawa or milk solids. During my years in college, my friends and I would eagerly wait for the food truck that comes to campus every Wednesday. Everyone lines up for ice cream. But there are a few of us that join a small line for peda and palkova (the south Indian milk fudge). Now it does not mean that I don't like ice creams. But I simply love nibbling this tasty, milky fudge. It is such a fun dessert.

Earlier making pedas was time-consuming. My Mom used to make it by boiling and reducing milk then adding sugar and cook till it thickens. It was only recently while viewing Manjula's Kitchen on youtube that I understood that my favorite sweet can be made quick and easy. I quickly checked this recipe with my mom, just so that I don't miss something essential. The joy of making my favorite sweet at home was immense. It came out well and tasted just like the ones made at home. There are so many varieties of peda out there. This is the basic peda recipe. You can add nuts, chocolate or fruits to the peda for different flavors and texture. Try this deliciously sweet, you will surely love it. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients to make Peda

The ingredients to make peda are very simple, khoya/mawa, fresh paneer/chena, sugar, cardamom, and saffron

Mawa- The most important ingredient to make peda is mawa or khoya. Mawa has reduced milk or milk solids. I used store-bought mawa. You can find mawa at Indian grocery stores in the freezer section. Alternatively, you can also use milk powder or condensed milk. If you are making with milk powder select full-fat milk powder. You can find mawa milk powder in the Indian grocery store which I have found works perfectly well for this recipe. Peda made with condensed milk has a slightly chewy texture which some of you may find interesting.

Chena/fresh paneer- Fresh paneer is optional. It adds body and texture to the peda-a semi-soft grainy texture. You can use both homemade or store brought paneer. I have used a homemade paneer for this recipe. You can make fresh paneer at home. The first step is to boil the milk let it cool down for two to three minutes and then curdle it using lemon juice or vinegar. Once the milk curdles you drain the water using a muslin cloth and you will get milk solid. If you do not have mawa or paneer, you can still make peda, substitute it with milk powder and ricotta cheese.

Cardamom and saffron- These pedas are beautifully laced with the flavor of cardamom and saffron. If you are not a fan of cardamom just use saffron and rose water. Nuts like almonds and pistachios can be used to garnish.

How to make Milk peda

Cooking time- 25 minutes
Recipe type- sweet/ dessert
Cuisine- Indian

Ingredients
Khoya or Mawa- 1 1/2 cup
Paneer- 1/2 cup
Milk- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Ghee- 3 tsp

Cardamon powder- 3/4 tsp
Saffron and nuts for garnish

To make chena or fresh paneer

Boil 2 cups of milk and set aside for two to three minutes. Add lemon juice and let the milk curdle. Let it cool down and allow the milk to separate.

Place the cheesecloth on a kitchen mesh strainer and strain the milk. Rinse it under running water to remove the taste of lemon juice and squeeze off the excess liquid. Let it sit for half an hour, you can also hang it so that all the excess water drains off.

Remove the chena or milk solid into a bowl and knead until smooth for 3-4 minutes.

Homemade khoya

I have used homemade Khoya for this recipe. To make Khoya I used two cups of whole milk powder and 3/4 cup of evaporated milk. Knead it in the form of a dough. Cover the ball with a muslin cloth and carefully place it in a pressure cooker. Do not allow it to touch the water and steam it in high pressure for three to four minutes. Allow it to rest for half an hour. Bring it back to room temperature cover and refrigerate for four to five hours.

If using store brought Mawa

In the same way, you have to process the mawa. The mawa will be frozen. Let it defrost and knead the mawa till it is smooth. If you are using mawa milk powder, knead it along with the paneer.

Cooking the peda

In a nonstick pan add mawa and paneer mixture to the pan. Add milk and mix well. Stir and cook in medium flame for about eight or ten minutes till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Cook for another 4-5 minutes till it is smooth and comes together like a soft lumpy dough. Allow it to cool completely and add in powdered or granulated sugar and cardamom powder and knead it gently just like a dough. Grease your hand with butter or ghee and roll into balls and flatten gently to form a round disc. Garnish with chopped nuts. You can store this for up to a week in the refrigerator.